Feed tray extension for an election ballot printing system

ABSTRACT

An election ballot printing system includes a printer support structure which carries a printer. The printer and printer support structure are coupled together so that movement between them is restricted. A printer feed tray extension is carried by the printer support structure, wherein the printer feed tray extension includes a ramp and opposed guide rails which extend along the ramp. The opposed guide rails are positioned to guide a ballot into an input port of the printer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 60/908,141 filed on Mar. 26, 2007, the content of which isincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to generating ballots using a printer.

2. Description of the Related Art

It is generally not known before an election the number of people whowill vote, as well as their identity. Hence, a large number of ballotsare often printed before an election in the hope that there will beenough ballots for all of the voters. Providing enough ballots for allof the voters is difficult because the ballots are not all the same. Forexample, the ballots can be different for different political parties,such as Independent, Democrat and Republican. The ballots can bedifferent for different geographical locations, such as differentcounties, cities and states. Further, it is often necessary to provideballots in different languages (i.e. English and Spanish) because voterstypically understand different languages. The ballots can even bedifferent for different elections, such as state and national elections.

To better illustrate the problem, consider an election which has 10,000registered voters. In this situation, it is typical to print anddistribute about 50,000 ballots with the hope that the correct ballotwill be available for each voter. For example, if one voter speaksSpanish and is a Republican, then he or she will need to be providedwith a ballot written in Spanish that corresponds with a ballot for theRepublican Party. Hence, the ballot must be the correct ballot for theperson requesting it.

The ballots are distributed to different voting sites around thelocation that the election will take place. It can be appreciated thatit is difficult and time consuming to print and distribute a largenumber of ballots, and it would be much easier to print a distribute asmaller number of them. Further, once the ballots are at the votingsite, it is difficult and time consumer to find the correct ballot forthe voter. Some voters may not be able to vote if the voting site runsout of the correct ballots, or if the correct ballot cannot be found.

Ballots that are printed for the election and not used are typicallydiscarded after the election. Discarding unused ballots is wasteful andexpensive, so it is desirable to reduce this occurrence.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An election ballot printing system includes a printer support structurewhich carries a printer. The printer and printer support structure arecoupled together so that movement between them is restricted. A printerfeed tray extension is carried by the printer support structure, whereinthe printer feed tray extension includes an extension ramp and opposedguide rails extending along the extension ramp. The opposed guide railsare positioned to guide a ballot into an input port of the printer. Theopposed guide rails guide the ballot into the input port of the printerso that its skew is reduced.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent tothose skilled in the art from the following detailed description, takentogether with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 a, 1 b and 1 c are perspective, front and back views,respectively, of an unprinted ballot, in accordance with the invention.

FIGS. 2 a, 2 b and 2 c are perspective, front and back views,respectively, of a printed ballot, in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 3 a is a side view of an election ballot printing system, inaccordance with the invention, which includes a printer and feed trayextension carried by a support structure.

FIG. 3 b is a perspective view of the support structure of FIG. 3 a.

FIG. 3 c is a perspective view of a bottom surface of the printer ofFIG. 3 a and an upper surface of the support structure of FIG. 3 b.

FIGS. 3 d and 3 e are top and perspective views, respectively, of acontact pad engaged with the bottom surface of the printer of FIG. 3 a.

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b are side and perspective views, respectively, of analignment leg, in accordance with the invention.

FIGS. 4 c and 4 d are perspective views of the alignment leg of FIGS. 4a and 4 b in disengaged and engaged positions, respectively, relative tothe printer of FIG. 3 a.

FIGS. 5 a and 5 b are perspective and side views, respectively, of aninput end of the election ballot printing system of FIG. 3 a, inaccordance with the invention.

FIG. 5 c is a perspective view of another embodiment of a printer feedtray extension, in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 6 a is a perspective view of opposed guide rails included with theelection ballot printing system of FIG. 5 a.

FIGS. 6 b and 6 c are perspective and end views, respectively, of railbrackets carried by the guide rails of FIG. 6 a.

FIG. 6 d is a perspective view of the rail bracket of FIGS. 6 b and 6 cbeing carried on the distal end of the guide rail of FIG. 6 a.

FIGS. 7 a and 7 b are end views of the guide rails of FIG. 6 a.

FIG. 7 c is a top view of the guide rails of FIG. 6 a carrying a ballot,in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 a, 1 b and 1 c are perspective, front and back views,respectively, of an unprinted ballot 100. In this embodiment, unprintedballot 100 has a predetermined rectangular shape with a length L andwidth W. The dimensions of unprinted ballot 100 depends on manydifferent factors, such as the election it is to be used in. Forexample, some precincts may requires ballot 100 to have certaindimensions and other precincts may require ballot 100 to have differentdimensions.

Unprinted ballot 100 includes opposed front and back surfaces 101 and102, which are bounded by an outer edge 103 that extends around it.Outer edge 103 includes opposed edges 103 a and 103 c, as well asopposed edges 103 b and 103 d. Because ballot 100 is rectangular inshape, opposed edges 103 a and 103 c are parallel to each other andperpendicular to edges 103 b and 103 d. It should be noted thatunprinted ballot 100 is typically a blank wherein it does not includeindicia. Although, in some situations, unprinted ballot 100 can includeindicia. However, it is desirable to print more indicia on front and/orback surfaces 101 and 102 so that unprinted ballot 100 becomes a printedballot, as will be discussed in more detail presently.

FIGS. 2 a, 2 b and 2 c are perspective, front and back views,respectively, of a printed ballot 105. It should be noted that printedballot 105 corresponds to unprinted ballot 100 after ballot 105 has beengenerated by an election ballot printing system. The election ballotprinting system can generate printed ballot 105 in many different ways,such as by printing indicia on unprinted ballot 100. An example of anelection ballot printing system is discussed in more detail below withFIG. 3 a.

In this embodiment, indicia 110 and 111 are printed on front and backsurfaces 101 and 102, respectively. Indicia 110 and 111 can be of manydifferent types of information, such as personal information andinformation corresponding to the particular election that printed ballot105 is to be used for.

It should be noted that there are several problems when printing indicia110 and 111 on ballot 105. One problem is in ensuring that indicia 110and 111 correspond with each other. For example, if indicia 110 includesthe personal information of a voter in one city, indicia 111 shouldinclude information corresponding to the election in that city, and notanother. There are several ways to ensure that indicia 110 and 111correspond with each other.

In this embodiment, barcodes 108 and 109 are printed on front and backsurfaces 101 and 102, respectively. Barcodes 108 and 109 can correspondto many different types of information, such as that corresponding toindicia 110 and 111. Hence, barcode 108 corresponds to indicia 110 andbarcode 109 corresponds to indicia 111. Barcodes 108 and 109 are usefulso that the information is machine readable and can be easily enteredinto a computer with a barcode reader. In this way, barcodes 108 and 109can be read by a barcode reader to ensure that indicia 110 and 111correspond with each other.

Barcodes 108 and 109 also make the generation and distribution ofprinted ballot 105 an easier task. Barcodes 108 and 109 can be read tomake sure that printed ballot 105 is generated correctly for the personrequesting it. Barcodes also make printed ballot 105 trackable so thatits movement history can be documented. This provides the ability togenerate and distribute ballots in a manner that preserves the integrityand accuracy of the election.

It should be noted that it is desirable to print printed ballot 105accurately so that it can be read with the barcode reader. Hence, it isdesirable to print barcodes 108 and 109 so they can be read by thebarcode reader with a reduced likelihood of error. As will be discussedin more detail below, there are many different ways to ensure thatprinted ballot 105 is printed accurately enough to be read.

One way to ensure that printed ballot 105 is printed accurately enoughto be read is to ensure that indicia 110 and 111 and barcodes 108 and109 are aligned correctly. It is desirable to print indicia 110 and 111and barcodes 108 and 109 on ballot 105 within a predetermined positiontolerance so they are aligned correctly. This ensures that indicia 110and 111 and barcodes 108 and 109 can be read and that the ballots areprinted consistently from one ballot to another. Hence, the skew andpositioning of the indicia and barcodes on the ballot are often requiredto be within predetermined tolerances.

In this embodiment, borderline 106 and 107 are positioned proximate tothe outer periphery of the ballot, wherein borderline 106 and 107 areused to adjust the positioning and skew of indicia 110 and 111 andbarcodes 108 and 109. Borderlines 106 and 107 extend along edge 103 offront and back surfaces 101 and 102, respectfully. Borderlines 106 and107 can be of many different types, but here they are dashed lines.Borderlines 106 and 107 are desired to be spaced within a predeterminedrange of distances from edge 103, wherein the range of distances isoften between about one-half of a millimeter and about two millimeters.

In this embodiment, borderline 106 is spaced distances L₁, L₂, L₃ and L₄from edges 103 a, 103 b, 103 c and 103 d, respectively, wherein it isdesired that distances L₁, L₂, L₃ and L₄ be driven to a desireddistance. Further, borderline 107 is spaced distances L₅, L₆, L₇ and L₈from edges 103 a, 103 b, 103 c and 103 d, respectively, wherein it isdesired that distances L₅, L₆, L₇ and L₈ be driven to equal the desireddistance. It is generally desirable to have distances L₁-L₈ be equal sothat borderlines 106 and 107 are centered on surfaces 101 and 102,respectively. Further, it is generally desirable to have distances L₁-L₈be equal so that the skew of borderlines 106 and 107 is reduced. Itshould be noted that indicia 110 and 111 and barcodes 108 and 109 areprinted within the predetermined position tolerances in response tocentering borderlines 106 and 107. Further, the skew of indicia 110 and111 and barcodes 108 and 109 is reduced in response to reducing the skewof borderlines 106 and 107.

The skew of borderlines 106 and 107 can be characterized in manydifferent ways. In this example, the skew of borderline 106 correspondsto the difference between distances L₁, and L₂, as well as thedifference between L₃ and L₄. The amount of skew of borderline 106increases as the differences between L₁ and L₂ and L₃ and L₄ increases.Further, the amount of skew of borderline 106 decreases as thedifferences between L₁ and L₂ and L₃ and L₄ decreases. The amount ofskew of borderline 106 changes when it is rotated by an angle θ about areference line 116, wherein reference line 116 extends perpendicular tosurfaces 101 and 102. It should be noted that borderline 106 is notskewed when angle θ is zero degrees and distances L₁ and L₂ are equaland distances L₃ and L₄ are equal.

The skew of borderline 107 corresponds to the difference betweendistances L₅ and L₆, as well as the difference between L₇ and L₈. Theamount of skew of borderline 107 increases as the differences between L₅and L₆ and L₇ and L₈ increase. Further, the amount of skew of borderline107 decreases as the differences between L₅ and L₆ and L₇ and L₈decreases. The amount of skew of borderline 107 changes when it isrotated by angle θ about reference line 116 (FIG. 2 a).

It should be noted that borderline 107 is not skewed when angle θ iszero degrees and distances L₅ and L₆ are equal and distances L₇ and L₈are equal. It should also be noted that borderline 106 is centered whendistances L₁ and L₃ are equal and distances L₂ and L₄ are equal.Further, borderline 107 is centered when distances L₅ and L₇ are equaland distances L₆ and L₈ are equal.

FIG. 3 a is a side view of an election ballot printing system 120, inaccordance with the invention. In this embodiment, election ballotprinting system 120 includes a printer support structure 121 whichcarries a printer feed tray extension 130 carried proximate to an inputend 115 of a printer 125. Support structure 121 can be of many differenttypes, such as a table or cart. Further, printer 125 can be of manydifferent types, such as an ILUMINA digital color press manufactured byXANTE Corporation.

More information regarding various components of election ballotprinting system 120 can be found in U.S. patent application Ser. No.______, entitled ELECTION BALLOT PRINTING SYSTEM AND METHOD, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. ______entitled METHOD OF OPERATING AN ELECTIONBALLOT PRINTING SYSTEM and U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______,entitled ACCEPTANCE TRAY FOR AN ELECTION BALLOT PRINTING SYSTEM, eachbeing filed on an event date herewith, by the same inventors, thecontents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

Printer 125 is carried on an upper surface 121 a of support structure121. Printer 125 includes an input port 126 a which faces printer feedtray extension 130 and an output port 126 b which faces away fromprinter feed tray extension 130. Input port 126 a is for receiving aballot to be printed and output port 126 b is for outputting the printedthat has been printed. In this way, printed ballot 105 corresponds tounprinted ballot 100 after it has been processed by election ballotprinting system 120, and indicia and/or barcodes have been printedthereon. Printer 125 includes a printer feed tray 128 which extendsoutwardly away from input port 126 a and towards printer feed trayextension 130.

Printer feed tray extension 130 can be of many different types, severalof which will be discussed in more detail with FIG. 5 a. Printer feedtray extension 130 is for feeding unprinted ballot 100 into input port126 a so it can be printed with more accuracy. In this embodiment,printer feed tray extension 130 includes a base 134 fastened to supportstructure 121 and an extension ramp 135 carried by base 134. Extensionramp 135 is positioned so that unprinted ballot 100 can extend betweenit and printer feed tray 128. Extension ramp extends downwardly towardsinput port 126 a. Printer feed tray extension 130 can be a separatepiece attached to support structure 121 or it can be integrally formedtherewith.

Extension ramp 135 can have many different dimensions. In general, thedimensions of extension ramp 135 are chosen to accommodate ballot 100and 105. Hence, the dimensions of extension ramp 135 are typicallygreater than width W and length L. In one particular example, extensionramp 135 has a length L₉ between about eleven inches to about fiftyinches. In another example, extension ramp has length L₉ of about fortytwo inches. In some examples, extension ramp 135 has length L₉ betweenabout twenty inches to about forty two inches. It should be noted thatlength L of most ballots is less than about twenty two inches. Length L₉is indicated in FIGS. 3 a and 5 a.

The accuracy in which ballot 105 is printed can be increased in manydifferent ways. For example, the accuracy can be increased by aligningprinter 125 and printer feed tray extension 130. In accordance with theinvention, the accuracy is also increased by using a guide rail 140 a toguide unprinted ballot 100 into input port 126 a. The skew of unprintedballot 100 depends on its alignment with input port 126 a and thealignment of unprinted ballot 100 with input port 126 a depends on thealignment between printer feed tray extension 130 and printer 125.Printer 125 and printer feed tray extension 130 can be aligned with eachother in many different ways, one of which will be discussed in moredetail presently.

FIG. 3 b is a perspective view of support structure 121 showing uppersurface 121 a and FIG. 3 c is a perspective view of support structure121 and printer 125 showing upper surface 121 a and bottom surface 125a. In this embodiment, printer feed tray extension 130 is positioned ina region 129, indicated in phantom in FIG. 3 b, and is generallyfastened to support structure 121. Printer feed tray extension 130 canbe fastened to support structure 121 in many different ways, such as byusing fasteners which extend through it and surface 121 a.

In accordance with the invention, printer 125 and support structure 121are aligned by using alignment legs and alignment openings. As shown inFIG. 3 b, alignment openings 123 a, 123 b, 123 c and 123 d extendthrough top surface 121 a of support structure 121. As shown in FIG. 3c, alignment legs 124 a, 124 b, 124 c and 124 d extend through bottomsurface 125 a of printer 125. Alignment openings 123 a, 123 b, 123 c and123 d are positioned on support structure 121 so that they are alignedwith legs 124 a, 124 b, 124 c and 124 d, respectively, of printer 125.Openings 123 a, 123 b, 123 c and 123 d are sized and shaped to receivecorresponding alignment legs 124 a, 124 b, 124 c and 124 d,respectively. In this way, legs 124 a, 124 b, 124 c and 124 d extendthrough openings 123 a, 123 b, 123 c and 123 d, respectively, whenprinter 125 is carried by support structure 121.

Alignment legs 124 a, 124 b, 124 c and 124 d and openings 123 a, 123 b,123 c and 123 d restrict surface 125 a of printer 125 from movingrelative to surface 121 a of support structure 121. Hence, printer 125and support structure 121 are coupled together so that movement betweenthem is restricted. Printer 125 is restricted from moving relative tosupport structure 121 so it is easier to align printer 125 with supportstructure 121 and easier to maintain this alignment. In this way, theaccuracy in which ballot 105 is printed is increased by aligning printer125 and printer feed tray extension 130.

FIGS. 3 d and 3 e are top and perspective views of a contact pad 118engaged with bottom surface 125 a of printer 125. Generally, fourcontact pads 118 are positioned on bottom surface 125 a, but only one isshown here for simplicity. Contact pad 118 is held to surface 125 a by ascrew 119 and includes a resilient material, such as plastic and rubber,which reduces the likelihood of printer 125 damaging support structure121. Screw 119 extends through pad 118 and is threadingly engaged with athreaded opening 117 (FIG. 4 c) extending through bottom surface 125 a.

However, there are several problems with using contact pad 118 to engagesupport structure 121. For example, when contact pad 118 engages surface121 a of support structure 121, it allows printer 125 to move relativeto surface 121 a and support structure 121. Hence, it is difficult toalign printer 125 with support structure 121 so that ballot 100 can beprinted more accurately. Further, it is difficult to maintain thealignment between support structure 121 and printer 125. Hence, inaccordance with the invention, contact pads 118 are removed and replacedwith alignment legs 124 a-124 d, as shown in FIG. 3 c. Alignment legs124 a-124 d can be of many types, one of which will be discussed in moredetail presently.

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b are side and perspective views of an alignment leg124, wherein alignment leg 124 can correspond with alignment legs 124a-124 d of FIG. 3 c. In this embodiment, alignment leg 124 includes abody portion 112 having a concave portion 113 at one end and a threadedportion 114 at its opposed end. Threaded portion 114 is for threadinglyengaging a threaded opening extending through bottom surface 125 a ofprinter 125, as discussed below with FIGS. 4 c and 4 d. Concave portion113 is for engaging the bottom surface of corresponding openings 123a-123 d extending through support structure 121, as discussed above withFIG. 3 c.

FIGS. 4 c and 4 d are perspective views of leg 124 in disengaged andengaged positions, respectively, with printer 125. In this embodiment,leg 124 is repeatably moveable between the engaged and disengagedpositions by threadingly engaging and disengaging threaded portion 114with threaded opening 117. It should be noted that leg 124 and opening117 are used for legs 124 a-124 d discussed above.

In operation, contact pads 118 are removed from printer 125 and replacedwith alignment legs 124 a-124 d. Alignment legs 124 a-124 d arethreadingly engaged with threaded openings 117 extending through surface125 a of printer 125. Alignment legs 124 a-124 d are received byopenings 123 a-123 d, respectively, in support structure 121. Openings123 a-123 d are sized and shaped to receive alignment legs 124 a-124 dand thus reduce the movement of printer 125 relative to supportstructure 121 as discussed above. In this way, printer 125 is restrictedfrom moving along surface 121 a, and can be accurately aligned withsupport structure 121.

As discussed above, the skew and centering of the indicia on the printedballots 105 decreases as the alignment between printer 125 and printerfeed tray extension 130 increases. The alignment between printer 125 andprinter feed tray extension 130 can be increased in many ways, one ofwhich will be discussed presently.

FIGS. 5 a and 5 b are perspective and side views, respectively, ofprinter feed tray extension 130, in accordance with the invention. Inthis embodiment, printer feed tray extension 130 is positioned at inputend 115 of printer 125. Printer 125 generally includes printer feed tray128 repeatably moveable between stowed (not shown) and deployed (shown)positions. Printer feed tray 128 is coupled with opposed printer feedtray arms 136 a and 136 b which hold it in the deployed position.Printer feed tray 128 carries opposed printer guide rails 137 a and 137b for guiding ballot 100 into input port 126 a. Printer guide rails 137a and 137 b are repeatably moveable towards and away from each otheralong feed tray surface 128 a.

Printer feed tray 128 provides a feed tray surface 128 a for holdingunprinted ballot 100 when it is moved into input port 126 a. It shouldbe noted that, in general, unprinted ballot 100, as shown in FIG. 5 a,can be unprinted on both of its surfaces 101 and 102 (FIGS. 1 b and 1 c)or on one of its surfaces 101 and 102. In some situations, howeverunprinted ballot 100 has indicia printed on both of its surfaces 101 and102, but it is desirable to print more indicia on at least one of itssurfaces 101 and 102. Hence, an unprinted ballot is one in which it isdesirable to print indicia on at least one of its sides.

In this embodiment, extension ramp 135 includes an opening 139, which issized, shaped and positioned to receive printer feed tray 128 (FIG. 5b). Opening 139 allows ramp 135 to overlap printer feed tray 128 so thata ramp surface 135 a is flush with feed tray surface 128 a. Ramp surface135 a is flush with feed tray surface 128 a so that unprinted ballot 105is moved on a smooth surface when it is moved into input port 126 a.Printer feed tray 128 is repeatably moveable between positions towardsand away from extension ramp 135. Printer feed tray 128 is repeatablymoveable between positions overlapping and not overlapping extensionramp 135.

It should be noted that printer guide rails 137 a and 137 b generallyhave play that allows them to undesirably move as ballot 100 is movedinto input port 126 a. The undesirable movement of printer guide rails137 a and 137 b can reduce the accuracy in which ballot 100 is printed.For example, the undesirable movement can increase the skew ofborderlines 106 and 107 (FIGS. 2 a-2 c).

In accordance with the invention, printer feed tray extension 130includes opposed guide rails 140 a and 140 b, which are positioned onopposed sides of unprinted ballot when it is carried by extension ramp135 is repeatably moveable between positions towards and away fromprinter feed tray 128. Guide rails 140 a and 140 b extend alongextension ramp 135 and are aligned with input port 126 a. Printer guiderails 137 a and 137 b will engage guide rails 140 a and 140 b,respectively, when they are moved towards each other. In thisembodiment, guide rails 140 a and 140 b are operatively coupled with anadjustment mechanism 127 (FIG. 5 a) which moves them towards and awayfrom each other, as indicated by a movement arrow 118, to accommodateballots having different widths W.

FIG. 6 a is a perspective view of opposed guide rails 140 a and 140 b. Aproximal end 148 a of guide rail 140 a is positioned proximate to inputport 126 a and a distal end 149 a of guide rail 140 a is positioned awayfrom input port 126 a. Further, a proximal end 148 b of guide rail 140 ais positioned proximate to input port 126 a and a distal end 149 b ofguide rail 140 a is positioned away from input port 126 a. Printer guiderails 137 a and 137 b will engage distal ends 149 a and 149 b,respectively, when they are moved towards each other.

Guide rails 140 a and 140 b can have many different configurations. Inthis embodiment, and as shown in FIGS. 5 a and 6 a, guide rail 140 aincludes a side 142 a coupled to a base 141 a, wherein base 141 aextends along extension ramp 135 and side 142 a extends upwardly fromramp 135. Further, guide rail 140 b includes a side 142 b coupled to abase 141 b, wherein base 141 b extends along ramp 135 and side 142 bextends upwardly from ramp 135. Bases 141 a and 141 b are positionedaway from each other so that there is a gap between them and a portionof ramp surface 135 a is exposed (FIG. 5 a). The gap between bases 141and 141 a can be increased and decreased by moving guide rails 140 a and140 b away and towards each other, respectively. As mentioned above,guide rails 140 a and 140 b can be move away and towards each other byadjusting adjustment mechanism 127.

In this embodiment, proximal ends 148 a and 148 b of corresponding sides142 a and 142 b extend away from bases 141 a and 141 b, and towardsinput port 126 a. Proximal ends 148 a and 148 b of corresponding sides142 a and 142 b extend at an angle relative to extension ramp 135 sothat guide rails 140 a and 140 b conform to ramp surface 135 a and feedtray surface 128 a. In this way, guide rails 140 a and 140 b restrictthe amount of skew of the ballot when it extends over ramp 135 andprinter feed tray 128. Guide rails 140 a and 140 b restrict the amountof skew of the ballot when it extends over ramp surface 135 a and feedtray surface 128 a.

Guide rails 140 a and 140 b are positioned to reduce the skew of theballot as it is moved into input port 126 a. Guide rails 140 a and 140 breduce the amount of skew of the ballot by engaging its opposed sides asit is moved into input port 126 a. In this way, guide rails 140 a and140 b restrict the amount of skew of the indicia printed on the ballot.Guide rails 140 a and 140 b can engage the opposed sides of the ballotin many different ways, one of which will be discussed in more detailpresently.

As mentioned above, side 142 a and base 141 a are coupled together andside 142 b and base 141 b are coupled together. In this embodiment, side142 a and base 141 a form an interface 146 a where they are coupledtogether. Further, side 142 b and base 141 b form an interface 146 bwhere they are coupled together. Interfaces 146 a and 146 b engageopposed sides of the ballot when it is carried by bases 141 a and 141 bso that its skew is restricted, as will be discussed in more detail withFIGS. 7 a-7 c.

It should be noted that side 142 a can be coupled to base 141 a and side142 b can be coupled to base 141 b in many different ways. For example,side 142 a and base 141 a can be a single integral piece wherein side142 a is formed by bending it upwardly from base 141 a. Further, side142 b and base 141 b can be a single integral piece wherein side 142 bis formed by bending it upwardly from base 141 b. In another example,side 142 a and base 141 a are separate pieces welded together and side142 b and base 141 b are separate pieces welded together, so thatinterfaces 146 a and 146 b are defined by weldments.

FIG. 5 c is a perspective view of another embodiment of a printer feedtray extension, which is denoted as printer feed tray extension 130 a.In this embodiment, printer feed tray extension 130 a includes guiderails 143 a and 143 b, wherein guide rail 143 a includes side 144 a andbase 141 a coupled together, and guide rail 143 b includes side 144 band base 141 b coupled together. However, in this embodiment, side 144 adoes not extend away from base 141 a and towards input port 126 a, andside 144 b does not extend away from base 141 b and towards input port126 a. Hence, sides 144 a and 144 b do not include portions at an anglerelative to extension ramp 135, such as sides 142 a and 142 b (FIGS. 5 aand 6 a).

In this embodiment, sides 144 a and 144 b terminate proximate to printerguide rails 137 a and 137 b, respectively. Guide rails 137 a and 137 bdo not engage guide rails 143 a and 143 b when guide rails 137 a and 137b are moved towards each other. Hence, guide rails 143 a and 143 b,along with printer guide rails 137 a and 137 b, guide unprinted ballotas it moves towards input port 126 a.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 a and 5 b, guide rails 140 a and 140b carry guide rail brackets 150 a and 150 b on sides 142 a and 142 b,respectively. FIGS. 6 b and 6 c are perspective and end views,respectively, of guide rail brackets 150 a and 150 b. Rail brackets 150a and 150 b are positioned to reduce the amount of flex in correspondingsides 142 a and 142 b so that the amount of skew in the ballot isreduced as it is moved into input port 126 a. In general, the more guiderails 140 a and 140 b are allowed to flex, the more the ballot isallowed to skew. Further, the less guide rails 140 a and 140 b areallowed to flex, the less unprinted ballot 100 is allowed to skew. Railbrackets 150 a and 150 b can have many different configurations, severalof which will be discussed in more detail presently.

FIG. 6 d is a perspective view of rail bracket 150 a carried on thedistal end of side 142 a of guide rail 140 a. In this embodiment, railbracket 150 a includes a base 151 coupled to a side 152, wherein side152 extends along side 142 a and base 151 extends outwardly from side142 a so that rail bracket 150 a has an L-shape (FIG. 6 c). Rail bracket150 a is held to side 142 a by fasteners 153 which extend through sides152 and 142 a. Rail bracket 150 a is positioned to restrict the amountof flex in proximal end 148 a of guide rail 140 a. Rail bracket 150 aincludes a rigid material to provide rigidity to sidewall member 152 a.It should be noted that rail bracket 150 b can have the sameconfiguration as rail bracket 150 a, or a different one.

It should also be noted that rail bracket 150 a and/or 150 b can bereplaced with another rail bracket, such as a rail bracket 154. In thisembodiment, rail bracket 154 is a flat piece of material and does notinclude a base. Rail bracket 154 is held to side 142 a with fasteners153 and also restricts the amount of flex in proximal end 148 a of guiderail 140 a.

FIGS. 7 a and 7 b are end views of guide rails 140 a and 140 b, and FIG.7 c is a top view thereof. In this embodiment, bases 141 a and 141 b areperpendicular to sidewalls 142 a and 142 b, respectively, as discussedin more detail above. In this way, the intersection of base 141 a formsinterface 146 a with sidewall 152 a. Further, the intersection of base141 b forms interface 146 b with sidewall 142 b.

In operation, unprinted ballot 100 is positioned between sides 142 a and142 b and on bases 141 a and 142 b, as well as on ramp surface 135 a.The positions of guide rails 140 a and 140 b are adjusted so thatinterfaces 146 a and 146 b engage opposed edges 103 d and 103 b,respectively, of unprinted ballot 100, as shown in FIG. 7 b. It shouldbe noted that the positions of guide rails 140 a and 140 b can beadjusted by using adjustment mechanism 127. It should also be noted thatsurface 101 of unprinted ballot 100 faces upwardly away from rampsurface 135 a and surface 102 faces downwardly towards ramp surface 135a. Guide rails 140 a and 140 b are adjusted and so they are spaced adistance apart, wherein the distance corresponds to the width ofunprinted ballot 100. In this way, unprinted ballot 100 is held in adesired alignment relative to input port 126 a.

In accordance with the invention, edges 103 d and 103 b engageinterfaces 146 a and 146 b as unprinted ballot 100 moves towards inputport 126 a. In this way, the skew of unprinted ballot 100 is reduced inresponse to engaging interfaces 146 a and 146 b, and printed ballot 100is generated more accurately by printer 125.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed, numerous variations and alternate embodiments will occur tothose skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended that the inventionbe limited only in terms of the appended claims.

1. An election ballot printing system, comprising: a printer and printerfeed tray extension carried by a printer support structure; wherein theprinter feed tray extension includes an extension ramp and a guide railextending along the ramp, the guide rail being positioned to guide aballot into an input port of the printer.
 2. The system of claim 1,further including a printer feed tray wherein the extension ramp extendstowards the input port and printer feed tray.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the guide rail includes an upwardly extending side, and a basewhich carries the ballot.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the side andbase are coupled together to form an interface which engages an edge ofthe ballot when the ballot is carried by the base.
 5. The system ofclaim 1, further including a guide rail bracket carried by the guiderail, the guide rail bracket reducing the amount of flex of the guiderail.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the printer and printer supportstructure are coupled together so that movement between them isrestricted.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein a proximal portion of theguide rail is at an angle relative to the distal portion.
 8. An electionballot printing system, comprising: a printer support structure; aprinter carried by the support structure, the printer including aprinter feed tray; and a printer feed tray extension carried by thesupport structure, the printer feed tray extension including anextension ramp with an opening sized and shaped to receive the printerfeed tray; wherein the opposed guide rails are positioned to guide aballot into an input port of the printer.
 9. The system of claim 8,wherein the printer feed tray extension includes opposed guide railsextending along the ramp.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein each guiderail includes a base which carries the ballot, and an upwardly extendingside.
 11. The system of claim 9, wherein the guiderails are repeatablymoveable towards and away from each other.
 12. The system of claim 8,wherein the printer and support structure are coupled together withalignment legs and alignment openings which restrict their movementrelative to each other.
 13. The system of claim 8, wherein the extensionramp extends over the printer feed tray.
 14. A method of printing aballot, comprising: providing an election ballot printing system, whichincludes a printer and a printer feed tray extension, wherein theprinter feed tray extension includes opposed guide rails; positioning aballot so it extends between the opposed guide rails; and moving theballot into an input port of the printer, wherein the guide railsrestrict the skew of the ballot.
 15. The method of claim 14, furtherincluding adjusting the positions of the guide rails in response to thewidth of the ballot.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein each guide railincludes a base with a side extending upwardly therefrom.
 17. The methodof claim 16, further including positioning the ballot so it is carriedby the bases of the guide rails and engaged with the sides.
 18. Themethod of claim 14, wherein the election ballot printing system includesa downwardly extending extension ramp which carries the opposed guiderails.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the printer includes aprinter feed tray which engages the extension ramp.
 20. The method ofclaim 19, wherein the opposed guide rails are shaped to extend along theextension ramp and the printer feed tray.